Alfred Bester - Biped Reegan(1).pdf - po ang - Januszek66

BipedReegan

byAlfred Bester

Part 1 THE BIPED, REEGAN

The strongest man, the last woman, at bay against a world that had destroyed

theirfellows, take a last grim gamble with eternity that the human race might

survive.

IF ITplease your Imperial Maternity, the day is won. I have here the full

reportof the last victory, and if your Imperial Maternity would deign to

listen...?

At the first light our forces were drawn up at the crest of the semicircle of

hillssurrounding the bipeds' last citadel. In the ten moons following our first

attackon their cities, only this last stronghold prevailed. Withinwere less

thantwo hundred bipeds. Like a sickle, our armies pressed close.

We were at all times within close observation of the enemy. Spy-alpha had

slippedthrough their traps and barriers during the dark and had taken up a post

inthe vast room in which the bipeds were accustomed to meet and talk. Spy-alpha

telecastedto us shortly after the first light that the bipeds were entering the

room, and all of us picked up his thought band.

They came in slowly, those bipeds, for they were desperate. The big one with

flushedface and beard, called Otis, banged his hand on the table.

"It's hopeless," he said. "What if we do win out?"

The biped with red hair interrupted.

"Not if," he said. "We shall. Chung and I have something new. It can't fail.

We've been working on it for two months. "

Then the biped with slant eyes, the one called Chung, nodded.

"In some ways," he said, "the attack of the ants has worked miracles. First, it

endeda war between the Chinese and Whites. Second, it has provided a necessity

thatis proving to be the mother of miracles. BetweenIvar's technique and my

theorywe have created a new thermodynamics. . ."

"You're too long-winded,"Ivar said.

"You're both too optimistic," Otis added. "When do we see this miracle workerof

yours? What's it all about?"

"Not yet,"Ivar replied. "In three hours it'll be ready for a final

demonstration. Not now."

"And if it works?" Otis asked.

"Then we win," said Chung.

"Win what?" Otis demanded. "A slow and sorry death for the race and two hundred

men. Two hundred men, I said. You don't seem to understand. The race of men is

dead. It died with the last woman. You're only prolonging the inevitable. "

Ivarsaid: "I'd rather make a fight of it . . . No matter how hopeless it is.

You too, Otis.You're just depressed."

At that moment the vast portal to the room was smashed open and one of thebiped

underlingsrushed in. He lifted his hand to his forehead and poured out a

messageso excitedly that Spy-alpha had difficulty following, and so did we. The

gistof it, however, was that the ants were attacking.

Instantly we telecast across the entire field of battle. Not an attack was

reportedin progress, although Marshal-gamma announced that he had moved one

hundredthirty thousand of his troops forward slightly to maintain an even line

acrossthe crest of the ridge. We turned our attention then back to Spy-alpha in

themeeting room of the bipeds.

They were in a state of alarm, doubtless convinced from the reported troop

movementsthat our attack was coming. The red-haired biped,Ivar , was especially

concerned.

"I must have three hours more," he repeated over and over. "Three hours will

makethe difference between success and failure. Can you give Chung and methree

hours?"

"I'd like to," Otis said, "but how?"

"I'LL tell you how!"

It was the biped,Reegan . . . The one of great daring whose long lean body and

recklesslean face we had all grown to hate and fear. The numbers of us whom he

hadkilled mounted to the millions. A wave of fury leaped across the battlefield

asall of us telecast our hatred ofReegan . At the room of the bipeds, Spy-alpha

warnedus to be quiet lest we miss an important detail.

"If we sit here and wait,"Reegan snarled, "we can sit and wait until the ants

makeup their minds what they want to do with us.Waiting's no good. It just

playsright into their hands.Ivar wants three hours? Hell, I'll give him

sixty-three."

"How?" asked Otis.

"Counter-attack,"Reegan snapped. "Give me a suicide squad. Ten men, that's all.

I'll go out there and blast the guts off them!"

"The man is crazy," spoke the biped, Chung.

"Sure I'm crazy,"Reegan said. "I'm crazy with waiting. I've only got a lifetime

tolive, and I know there's nothing worth living for anyway. If I die and I've

givenIvarhis three hours . . . then what the hell?"

Chung said: "What would you do?"

"I'll take ten men and torches,"Reegan said. "I'll go out there and stay out

untilI'm dead. It ought to take them three hours to chew me to pieces. Me and

therest. . ."

"No," said Otis, "I can't let you."

"I'm going anyway,"Reegan said. "I'd like to see you stop me."

He arose to his full height and faced the biped, Otis. He raised hand to brow

languidlyand started out of the chamber. Spy-alpha rushed to precede him so as

tolearn the site ofReegan's attack, and just then the biped Otis clutched

Reeganby the arms.

"One more step," he said, "and I call the guard. No plan is worth your suicide,

Reegan."

The bipedReegan shook the arm away. Otis clutched him once more and this time

Reeganraised his fist and smote Otis full in the face. He was already out the

doorwhen Otis arose and began to shout for the guard. The bipedIvar quieted

him.

"Let him alone, Otis," he said. "Don't you know the poor guy's been looking to

diesince he lost his girl? You'll be doing him afavor if you'll let him kill

himself, . . And you'll be saving the rest of us."

SPY-ALPHA picked up no more of their vibrations, for he had slipped under the

portaland was following the bipedReegan down the hall. When he had caught up,

thebipedReegan had already summoned ten others, some with the slant eyes and

otherswith the white faces They were donning the tight suits of metalfabrix

withthe glass helmets andReegan was handing out the torches.

Our research legions are at present investigating these torches, Imperial

Maternity.They consist of large tanks which the bipeds strap over their backs.

From the tanks lead two hoses which join in a metal nozzle held in the hand. It

isbelieved that two kinds of substance are carried in different compartments of

thetank, and when these substances are mingled at the nozzle, they burst into

flame.

"Here is the plan,"Reegan said. "We go out through the north gate. From there

we. . ."

At this point he uttered an exclamation and Spy-alpha telecast that he had been

spottedby bipedReegan . All of us received the blurred impression that he was

fleeingrapidly for cover, and then his telecasts ceased. So passed another

happysacrifice for your Imperial Maternity.

Commander-lambda immediately dispatched Spy-zeta and Spy-zeta-prime to the

citadelof the bipeds to break through along the came route that Spy-alpha had

workedout. Meanwhile the scout legion was advanced slightly to await the first

appearanceof the biped sortie and report its direction.

The sickle of hills, as your Imperial Maternity doubtless knows, is the length

ofeight hundred and eight bipeds. It is a perfect formation, the arc of a

circle, and at each point, the same distance from the bipeds' citadel as it is

long, The height of the hills vary, the tallest being the central flat-topped

Alfred Bester - Biped Reegan(1).pdf

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